ECONOMIC PROFILE

Cayuga County creates opportunities for success whether the business is a small, one-person startup or an expansion of an established manufacturer. In fact, Cayuga County has proven to be an area that supports significant, positive economic growth. Infrastructure support for business is first rate. The County has plentiful water, state-of-the-art sewage and landfill facilities, along with developed opportunities for hydrogeneration and methane gas recovery. Portions of Cayuga County and the City of Auburn have been designated a New York State Empire Zone, offering tax credits and exemptions, attractive financing, job training, incentives, and utility rate reductions. A 120-acre Technology Park is served by fiber optic network.

There are several organizations that provide a host of management and consulting services to entrepreneurs. These include Co-located at the Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the Small Business/Consumer Education Dept. of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Cayuga County people are a vital asset to business development and growth. They are highly skilled and possess attributes of a successful productive workforce: enthusiasm, positive attitude and a strong work ethic. Skills in machinery manufacturing, rubber and plastics, fiber for optical applications, primary metals and metal fabrication are productivity assets to incoming businesses. Most businesses are locally owned, though international firms are represented. Feeding the growth of high technology in Cayuga County is the NASA Regional Applications Center at Cayuga Community College.

The total percent of women owned businesses in Cayuga County is 28.9% compare to New York State 26.1%.

Cayuga County holds steadily to ranking high among counties in the Central New York region in the creation of manufacturing jobs. Today, manufacturing remains the largest contributor to our County's economy, with primary metals, metal fabrication, rubber, plastics and plastic molding, electronic components, pumps, refrigeration, glass bottles and a host of other products serving markets throughout the world. Emerging technologies like fiber optics point the way to the future.

Driving this kind of success is a partnership of private and public economic development teams including the:

• Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce
• Cayuga County Industrial Development Authority
• Cayuga County Planning and Economic Development
• City of Auburn Office of Planning and Economic Development
• Auburn Industrial Development Authority

Cayuga County offers a range of employment opportunities comparable to the state and national employment sector. The unemployment rate for the County according to the NYS Department of Labor for the year 2003 is 5.4%.

With a highly skilled labor force, Cayuga County offers significant production labor cost advantages, particularly in relation to machinery manufacturing, rubber and plastics, primary metals and metal fabrications. This workforce is supported by an educational and job training infrastructure, which include Wells College, Cayuga Community College, the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, the Business and Industry Center and the Cayuga Works Career Center. These resources offer gap analysis, strategic planning assistance and assessment of company training needs, custom-designed training programs and seminars, national teleconferences and credit coursework, to increase productivity, improve employee morale, while ensuring survival in today's global marketplace. With broad community support, economic development is a continuous process.